Engine starter



Sept. 18, 1951 w. H. WEIMER 2,568,136-

ENGINE STARTER Filed April s, 1946 FIG.1

2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WILLIAM H. WEIMER M ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W. H. WEIMER ENGINE STARTER Sept. 18, 1951 Filed April 8, 1946 Patented Sept. 18, 1951.

ENGINE STARTER William H. Weimer, North Prairie, Wis.,'assignor to Air Diesel Engine Corporation, Jackson, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application April 8, 1946, Serial No. 660,530 6 Claims. (01. 135-37).

The present invention relates to engine starters and more particularly to those of the spring motor type.

An object of the invention is to provide an engine starter of simple, durable and inexpensive construction capable of ready application to an engine and particularly suitable for small internal combustion engines of either the compression-ignition or spark-ignition type.

Another object is to provide an engine starter which is so arranged as to permit safe and easy tripping of the spring motor and to avoid damage to the parts by impact.

ratchet teeth It by leaf springs 22, Fig. 2, secured to the flange, these springs also resisting centrifugal force on the pawls. The inward travel of the pawls is limited by an annular stop bead 23 on the sleeve, the outer diameter of the stop bead being slightly larger than the root A further object is to provide a starter having simple but effective means for releasably coupling the spring motor to the engine shaft.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view of an engine starter embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken generally on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken generally on the line 33 of Fig. l; N

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the inner end of the motor spring;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the starter, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken generally 'on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, parts being omitted, and a Fig. 7 is'a detail sectional view taken on the line 'l1 of ,Fig. 5.

In the drawings, I0 designates the crank-shaft of an internal combustion engine, and II designates a fly-wheel secured to the shaft, the flywheel having a circular recess I 2 the peripheral wall of which is defined by a fly-wheel rim l3. The engine may be of any suitable construction and is here shown to include a frame base l4 and a fly-wheel housing I5. The end of the crank-shaft has a coaxial extension member 16 rigidly secured thereon in any suitable manner, as by a screw-threaded connection, the extension member having a cylindrical outer end portion [1 and an enlarged inner end portion with ratchet teeth [8. A hushed coupling sleeve I9 is rotatably and slidably mounted on the cylindrical portion ll of the shaft extension member and has an annular flange 20 at its inner end. Pawls or dogs 2| are pivotally mounted on the flange 20 on axes parallel to the crankshaft axis and are urged inwardly against the diameter of the ratchet teeth. The sleeve is outwardly shiftable in an axial direction, as hereinafter described, to effect complete release of the pawls from the ratchet teeth, so as to avoid pawl contact when the engine is running, and the stop bead 23 facilitates reentry of the pawls onto the ratchet teeth for a subsequent starting operation.

A spirally coiled leaf spring 24 extends into the fly-wheel recess l2 and has an inner end secured to the sleeve l9, as by 9, button 25 on the sleeve engaging in a keyhole slot 26 in the spring, Fig. 4, the spring-being of a size or capacity to suit the starting requirements of the engine.

The outer end of the spring has a loop or eye 21 anchored on 'a stationary pin 28 secured to the lower portion of a stationary frame member 29. The frame member has side arm 3!] detachably fastened to the engine base l4 and has a cylindrical portion 3| which extends about the spring concentrically of the fly-wheel [3 to limit the expansion of the spring so that the spring will not rub on the inner wall of the fly-wheel rim. A flat peripheral flange 32 formed on the cylindrical portion 3| bears against the fly-wheel housing 15. The frame has a flat annular wall portion 33 axially confining the outer edges of the spring convolutions except for a few of the inner convolutions which are free to move axially when the sleeve I9 is shifted outwardly. The frame also has an apertured hood portion 34 at the projected axi of the engine shaft, this portion having a central opening 35 toadmit a spring-winding shaft 36 such as a removable hand crank. The winding shaft has a suitable releasable driving connection with the sleeve l9 as by means of a cross-pin 31 on the winding shaft engageable in notches 38 in the sleeve.

The outer end of the sleeve l9 extends in the hood portion 34 and is shouldered to receive a flange ring 39 which is welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the sleeve, there being an elongated notch or recess 40, Fig. 3, in the periphery of the ring to form end stop shoulders 4|. The inner face of the flange ring carries a flat annular wear member 42. A ratchet disk 43 is journalled on the outer end of the sleeve in close proximity to the flange ring and is axially confined between the flange ring and a spring retaining ring 44 on the sleeve. The ratchet disk 43 carries a, laterally projecting pin 45 which is movable in the notch 40 of the flange ring 39 and. is engageable with the stop shoulders 4|. A pawl or dog 46 is pivoted on a pin 41 carried on the frame member 29 and i engageable with the teeth of the ratchet disk 43 to prevent unwinding of the spring 24, the pawl being held in operative position by a coiled tension spring 48 which engages an arm 43 of the pawl. A trip member 5|! is pivoted on a pin 5| carried on the frame and has an arm 52 engageable with the arm 49 of the pawl 46 for releasing the pawl from the toothed ratchet disk 43. The trip member is operated by a foot-operated control arm 53 which i pivotally carried on a vertical pin 54 on the trip member and has forked portions 55 engageable with the wear member 42 of the flange ring and with the ratchet disk 43 to move the sleeve member I9 axially on the shaft extension I1. A detent spring 56 secured to the wall 33-of the frame member 29 is engageable with the arm 53 to hold the arm in either of its laterally shifted positions. In order to prevent tripping of the pawl 46 when the winding shaft 36 is engaged with the sleeve, the trip member 50 is provided with a finger 51 movable transversely in the path of this shaft, the shaft when present forming a stop, to prevent actuation of the trip member. The stop finger is preferably carried on the trip member, as shown, but as an alternative, a similar finger could be carried on the pawl 45.

When the engine is to be started, the sleeve I9 is pushed inwardly by the forked control arm 53, placing the pawls 2| in cooperation with the ratchet teeth I8. In some instances the spring 24 may be relied on to effect the inward shifting of the sleeve. The winding shaft 36 is then engaged with the sleeve and is manually rotated counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 5, causing the spring 24 to be wound up, the pawls 2| sliding over the ratchet teeth I8, and the toothed ratchet disk 43 being rotated by the flange ring 39 and pin 45 and sliding over the stop pawl 46 which prevents unwinding of the spring when the winding force is removed. The stop finger 51 prevents accidental tripping of the stop pawl while the winding haft is engaged, so as to avoid possible injury to the operator. Upon release of the winding force, the sleeve I9 will turn in the opposite direction through a part of a revolution until the pawls 2| engage the shoulders of the teeth IB, this being permitted by the elongated notch 40 in the flange ring 39. This relation avoids any impact damage to the pawls 2| and cooperating ratchet teeth when the spring unwinds after the tripping operation. The winding shaft or crank handle 36 is then withdrawn, and tripping of the pawl 46 is effected by pushing the arm 53 downwardly to the broken line position of Fig. 5, whereupon the unwinding spring 24 spins the engine shaft I0 rapidly through several revolutions to start the engine. After the engine starts, the arm 53 is swung laterally to shift the sleeve I9 outwardly, so as to completely release the pawls 2| from the ratchet teeth I3,

the arm 53 being held in it displaced position by the detent spring 56. A few of the inner convolutlons of the sprin shift outwardly with the sleeve, while the remaining convolutions remain in position.

The starter is simple in construction andv reliable in operation and permits easy hand startmg of engines, such as diesel engines, which are engine base.

diflicult or impossible to start by direct hand cranking. The entire starter, with the exception of the shaft extension I6, forms an assembly which can readily be applied as a unit to the engine by bolting the two frame arms 30 to the Removal of the assembly from the engine is equally simple, the coupling sleeve I9 being slidable from the shaft extension and being then supported by the winding spring.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by *Letters Patent is:

1. In an engine starter, a stationary frame, an engine shaft, a coupling sleeve rotatable and axially slidable on said shaft, a spirally coiled spring having its inner end secured to said sleeve, means for anchoring the outer end of said spring to said frame, said sleeve adapted to be rotated for winding the spring, releasable holding means for preventing unwinding of the spring, one-way driving means for connecting said sleeve to said engine shaft to effect rotation of said shaft by the unwinding of said spring, said driving means in cluding a ratchet on said shaft and a pawl on said sleeve, means for releasing said holding means to permit unwinding of said spring, and means for axially shifting said sleeve to effect release of said pawl from said ratchet when the engine shaft is running.

2. In an engine starter, a stationary frame, an engine shaft, a spring motor having a windable spring and a rotatable and axially shiftable coupling member connected to an end of said spring, the other end of said spring being anchored on said stationary frame, means for supporting said coupling member coaxially of said engineshaft, releasable holding means for preventing unwinding of said spring, one-Way pawl-and-ra-tchet driving means for connecting saidcoupling member to said engine shaft to effect rotation of said shaft by the unwindin of said spring, means for releasing said holding means to permit unwinding of the spring, and means for axially shifting said coupling member to effect release of said driving means when the engine is running.

3. In an engine starter, an engine shaft, a coupling member rotatably carried by said shaft and adapted to be rotated by a windin member,

a spirally coiled spring having its inner end secured to said coupling member, means for anchoring the outer end of said spring, releasable ratchet means for preventing unwinding of the spring, ratchet means for connecting said coupling member to said engine shaft for effecting driving of said shaft by the unwinding of the spring when said first-named ratchet means is released, means for releasing said first-named ratchet means to permit unwinding of the spring, and means for releasing said shaft-driving ratchet means out of ratchet contact when the engine is running, the releasing means for said first-named ratchet means and said shaft-driving ratchet means including a manually operable member common to both of said releasing means. 4. In an engine starter, an engine shaft memher, a rotatable coupling member coaxial with said shaft member, a spirally coiled spring having its inner end s-ecuredto said coupling member, means for anchoring the outer end of said spring, ratchet teeth on one of said members, a pawl on the other member engageable with said teeth to drive said shaft upon the unwinding of the spring, said coupling member adapted to be play between said ratchet member and coupling member, said ratchet member and coupling member having cooperating stop means to limit said angular play and to provide a driving connection, a releasable stop pawl engageable with said ratchet member to prevent unwinding of the spring when the winding force is removed, said angular play between said ratchet member and coupling member permittin engagement of said driving pawl with one of the associated ratchet teeth upon removal of the winding force, and means for releasing said stop pawl from said ratchet member to permit unwinding of the spring.

5. In an engine starter, an engine shaft, a flywheel on said shaft havin a circular concentric recess, a stationary frame member having a recess confronting said fly-wheel recess, a spirally coiled spring extending into both recesses and peripherally confined by said frame member recess, the outer end of said spring being anchored on said stationary frame member, a coupling member rotatably mounted on said engine shaft, the inner end of said spring being secured to said coupling member, said coupling member being adapted to be rotated to wind said spring, a one-way driving connection between said cou pling member and shaft for driving said shaft, releasable holding means for said coupling member to prevent unwinding of the spring when the winding force is removed, and means for releasing saidholding means to permit unwinding of the spring.

6. In an engine starter, an engine shaft, a flywheel on said shaft having a central recess, a rotatable coupling member coaxial with said shaft, means for supporting said coupling member, a'spirally coiled spring ending into said fly-wheel recess and having its ner end secured to said coupling member, 'tationary frame member enclosing the outerside of said spring and confining the expansion offsaid spring, means for anchoring the outer end of'said spring on said stationary framemember, sa oupling member being adapted to be rotated b winding member to wind the spring, and driving means releasably connecting said coupling member and shaft rotating said shaft.

H. WEIMER.

REFERENCES oITEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name v Date 959,070 Reddig May 24, 1910 1,268,414 Williams -1 June 4, 1918 1,282,512 Williams Oct. 22, 1918 1,620,998 Clark Mar. 15, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 160,800 Great Britain May 18, 1922 

